Are we nearing the worst of the epidemic?

America has reported 70,000 Covid-19 cases in a day for the first time since July. We have more cases and deaths now than any other country and the speed at which these new cases have suddenly spiked up hasn’t been paralleled since summer.

Authorities fear that at the current infection rate, the nation could end up recording a weekly case count record, just by the start of November. And if the spread grows any faster, as it did in June and July, then America could possibly already set its weekly count in just a few more days.

Commenting on this, Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at John Hopkins said,

“I don't think it's out of the question. Yesterday, we had about 50,000 new cases. It's not crazy to think that we would get there sooner than we would all like.”

Health officials have warned of a huge increase in cases as we move into the colder months. In fact, some officials are calling this time of the year“potentially the worst part of the epidemic” with reference to both, the number of new cases and the number of deaths.

According to John Hopkins University reports, there are over 8 million confirmed cases in America and more than 218,000 deaths. With the exception of three counties, the pandemic has affected the entire nation. Alongside these morbid developments, the percentage of Covid-19 tests coming back positive has also gone up in the Midwest, Northwest, and parts of Northern states.

One of America’s leading epidemiologists, Dr. Michael Osterholm, likened the current Covid-19 outbreak to a wildfire and not a “wave”. He said,

“It (Covid-19) will just keep burning human wood out there wherever it can find it. If you don’t put it out, those embers lie there, and if you remove your suppression activities, it comes right back. That’s what Europe is seeing right now. If we let our foot off the brake completely, you’re going to see widespread transmission everywhere."

According to Osterholm, the surge in cases is a result of three factors

1. People are tired of the pandemic and returning to social activities. In other words, social distancing is being compromised.
2. The students’ return to school is spreading the virus more to the vulnerable.
3. People are now spending more time indoors with the start of cool weather, increasing the rate of indoor transmission.

With everything looking this negative, the question is, can we at all avoid getting caught up in this wintertime down spiral? 

Dr. Anthony Fauci has advised people to follow two new safety measures, in addition to the five measures he previously recommended.

1. Wear masks
2. Keep social distance
3. Wash hands often
4. Plan activities outdoors rather than indoors
5. Avoid bars.

Fauci’s two NEW precautions for the winter are:

1. Ventilation

Try to keep your windows open. This simple measure allows a more thorough airflow indoors and forces aerosols to disperse faster. The CDC and WHO have acknowledged that this virus is primarily airborne, which makes this step particularly important.

1. Wearing Masks Indoors

This measure is easier. Fauci says“Don’t be afraid to wear a mask in your house if you’re not certain that the persons in the house are negative.”